Question on Class A tires

Hello all. I was at the truck tire place today getting some
new tires. I will ask the same question here I asked them. They had no answer for either....

1 - I carry a mounted spare steering tire. If I have a blowout I can jack up my RV using the builtins high enough to remove the wheel. However I have been unable to remove the lugs with any manual tools I own including a 4? cheater bar on a 3/4 for the 33mm bolts. Is there any manual way to remove these lugs for a roadside changeout? If not manual do I need pneumatic only or are there any electric impact guns with that much ft/lbs torque capability? Price matters but Ill listen to expensive options I guess.

I have AA RV plus but I like to be self sufficient. I have owned travel trailers and Class Cs but never had to deal with these heavy truck tires before.

2 - Can anyone reccomend reliable/quality and affordable tire pressure sensors I can install aftermarket that arent hard to setup other than the tire valve stem
part ( I assume any and all need to be installed internally correct me if I
am wrong ).

I think harbor freight carries a force multiplier thing.. it's designed just for this job

You Tube is your friend

Torque Multiplier demo on You Tube

LtVonWitzland said:

Is there any manual way to remove these lugs for a roadside changeout?

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First thing I would find out is what your torque spec is.  There's a big range over the size of weights and wheels and we have no idea what you have.  The actual number will dictate what kind of tools you will need.

Can anyone reccomend reliable/quality and affordable

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What do those terms mean to you specifically?

t arent hard to setup other than the tire valve stem part ( I assume any and all need to be installed internally

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Most RV and trailer TPM's just screw right onto the valve stem externally, so the "installation" is pretty straightforward there.  The monitor unit in the cab can be as simple as double stick tape to a convenient spot, then a 12V power feed for that.  There is some kind of setup where you program the unit to recognize the sensors for the various tire positions.  After that it comes down to adjusting any high/low setpoints you want (pressure and temperature) then watching them for a while to make sure the radio link between the sensor and monitor is OK.  If you're watching trailer or toad tires as well you'll probably want the optional radio repeater many models offer, so the tire sensors furthest away from the cab can be "heard" by the monitor.  I found these things are a bit of "messing around" initially but nothing terribly difficult, then once it's set up it's pretty much autopilot.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

Tire shops are notorious for heavy-handed tightening of wheel lugs, probably figuring too tight is better than any amount of "loose".  Big rig tires may use 500 lb-ft or more of torque, so an over-tightened lug is really on there. You need a tool capable of that amount of torque.  A torque-multiplier wrench and a long breaker bar is probably needed.

Also be aware that the driver side probably uses left-handed threads and the passenger side right-handed threads. Usually the stud will be marked with an R or L on the end.

A tool like this may help:
https://cheaterwrench.com/how-it-works/
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Heavy-Torque-Multiplier-Wrench/dp/B07FV4B21K/

A 100 lb person standing on the end of a 4' breaker bar is exerting almost 400 ft lbs of torque on the lug nut without bouncing. Offhand, I don't recall any RV wheels that called for more than 475 ft lbs.

Yeap, 450 lb-ft is typical. Freightliner says some of their chassis may use 500.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Yeap, 450 lb-ft is typical. Freightliner says some of their chassis may use 500.

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A 130 lb person with a 4 ft breaker bar could handle 500. I usually make out ok with a good kick instead of standing on it though.

When I had new tires installed on our motorhome recently, I was happy to see the tech grab the correct torque stick for his impact before snuggng up the lug nuts...

LtVonWitzland said:

Hello all. I was at the truck tire place today getting some
new tires. I will ask the same question here I asked them. They had no answer for either....

1 - I carry a mounted spare steering tire. If I have a blowout I can jack up my RV using the builtins high enough to remove the wheel. However I have been unable to remove the lugs with any manual tools I own including a 4? cheater bar on a 3/4 for the 33mm bolts. Is there any manual way to remove these lugs for a roadside changeout? If not manual do I need pneumatic only or are there any electric impact guns with that much ft/lbs torque capability? Price matters but Ill listen to expensive options I guess.

I have AA RV plus but I like to be self sufficient. I have owned travel trailers and Class Cs but never had to deal with these heavy truck tires before.

2 - Can anyone reccomend reliable/quality and affordable tire pressure sensors I can install aftermarket that arent hard to setup other than the tire valve stem
part ( I assume any and all need to be installed internally correct me if I
am wrong ).

Click to expand...

I am very happy with the TST TPMS system I installed in 2019 on my RV.  They just screw onto the valve stem then you have to set up the monitor inside the RV.  They are not cheap though.  However it is always interesting to read about people why finally install a TPMS after they have a blow out.  I had Pressure Pro for many years before that and was always unhappy that they would drop the reading on various tires from time to time. 

If you have an RV with 22.5" tires/wheels be sure you can manhandle the tire/wheel that weighs about 175 pounds (maybe more).  I am not totally sure about the weight, but I have weighed the 19.5" tires on a former rig and they weigh about 125 pounds.  That is about all the weight I wanted to fool with.

If you have 19.5" tires I believe the torque is about 150 ft pounds and a breaker bar should have no problem loosening them.